Koch primary kicks off

The Koch primary will kick off in earnest on Sunday night in the California desert with a forum featuring three top prospective contenders for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination making their case before hundreds of donors and operatives in the Koch brothers’ network.

Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida are expected to participate in what’s being called the “American Recovery Policy Forum,” according to a spokesman for Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce. The group, which oversees the vaunted political operation created by the billionaire industrialist megadonors Charles and David Koch, is organizing the forum at its annual winter gathering in Palm Springs .

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The forum, which will be moderated by ABC News’ chief White House correspondent Jon Karl, is closed to the press and public. But video of the event will be made available to media outlets – a significant change for the Kochs’ operation, which has had a reputation for secrecy.

Democratic operatives, donors and leaders up to and including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have blasted the Kochs and their network as a shadowy cabal trying to buy American democracy while avoiding scrutiny.

But the move by Freedom Partners to publicize its winter meeting and make video available of the forum in some ways puts it ahead of its liberal counterpart, the Democracy Alliance major donor club. While its leaders have indicated they intend to become more transparent, the DA, as the group is known in liberal finance circles, neither announces its gatherings publicly nor makes available video of its sessions.

The Koch networks’ steps towards openness have come since Freedom Partners was formed in late 2011 as a hub for all the groups in the Koch network. While Freedom Partners and most of the groups in the network are established under a section of the Tax Code — 501(c) — that allows them to shield their donors, Freedom Partners in the run-up to the 2014 midterms for the first time established a super PAC that requires the disclosure of donors’ names, as well as the dates and exact amounts of contributions.

The event will focus on domestic economic issues, including energy and health care, along with a discussion on how conservatives can improve the free-market brand and reach a broader audience. It’s a chance for the prospective presidential candidates to reach a highly influential — and deep-pocketed — group of donors who could play a key role in the 2016 GOP primary that is expected to shatter spending records.

“We hope that this panel will give each participant the opportunity to lay out their vision of free markets and the role of government,” said Freedom Partners spokesman James Davis. “Our goal in 2015 is to help inform the national debate around key domestic economic issues, and this forum is the beginning of that conversation.”

The Palm Springs gathering, which is also expected to draw a separate appearance from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, is the last in the series of twice-a-year meetings convened by the Koch network. Referred to as “seminars” by people within the Koch network, the events bring together dozens of conservative business leaders from across the country for three days of presentations. Past participants have included top conservative politicians, operatives and thought leaders, including American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, pundit Erick Erickson and pollster Frank Luntz.

Freedom Partners recently released a “Plan for Economic Growth” outlining its policy agenda. The document calls for restoring fiscal accountability in government, repairing ineffective public programs and reforming regulations and the Tax Code.

Correction: A previous version of this report incorrectly stated that American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, pundit Erick Erickson and pollster Frank Luntz will participate in Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 winter seminars. They have participated in past seminars.